Information picked up by Pinaxnews.com indicates that the Executive Director of Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Professor Henry Kwesi Prempeh, has communicated worries over the choice of Parliament to approve payment of salaries for life partners of the First and Second ladies of motherland.
The endorsement by Parliament has formalized the installment of compensation to the life partners of the President and Vice President who are set on allowances up to this point.
The suggestion was made by a five-part council which was set up in June 2019 by President Akufo-Addo to make proposals to him and to Parliament on the pay rates and remittances payable, and the facilities and advantages accessible to article 71 officeholders.
This is what Professor Henry Kwesi Prempeh had to say whiles commenting on the issue; ”The constitution does not require or compel a President or Vice President to have a spouse; bachelors and bachelorettes are welcome.
If Government wants to pay First and or Second Spouses from the public fisc, it must introduce a Bill to that effect. The clear import of Article 108 nand 178 of the constitution is that Parliament cannot, on its own accord initiate or approve payment of such emoluments (which would necessarily be paid from public funds) without a bill to that effect emanating from and introduced by the Government or allowances and duly passes into law.
The political class cannot use the Article 71 process to smuggle in salaries or allowances for the First and Second Spouses”.
